Bleeding Shadows
by Amaranth Evermore
Summary: A fill-in of the story behind the colossi, Eon, and Dormin.
1. Prologue

**Prologue: Bewitched**

Malus woke from her deep slumber. _How many days have I slept?_ She could not tell from the light or the creatures around her. After such a long time, her bird friends had learned not to trespass upon the domain she ruled. It saddened her to know they no longer would sing to her sweetly. And yet she took comfort in the fact that she could no longer hurt them.

Deep from her black roots in the earth she could feel her kin move. The warriors flexed their arms and gripped their weapons in cold fingers. The sleepers stirred and looked out beyond their land. Those that sailed stopped turning in circles and began to waver on the horizon, uncertain. The siphoning creatures cracked with pent-up fury. The children stopped their destructive play and wandered to the edge of their cities, looking for bigger prey.

She turned her eyes to where they all gazed. At the center of everything, a dark temple stood, an unwelcoming presence in the harsh land.

At the top of the temple, where only she could see, she saw Dormin awaken and speak loudly in a language Malus had never heard before. She grumbled as she attempted to move, feeling the same lost hope she had experienced the hundreds of times she had tried before. The only thing she could move was her many-ringed fingers. So she sent her life to the tips of them. Up and down her arm until she felt she was not completely stone.

She gathered clouds around her, relishing their touch, feeling the warm touch of her children and husband and friends in the clouds icy kiss. She made it rain, so she could feel like she could cry.

She bitterly cursed herself for her inability to do anything as Dormin spoke. The sickened land seemed to shake beneath her darkened feet. She felt immense hate rise in her throat as she listened to him, able to speak his thoughts, while she could never speak hers. She could never feel anything but despair. She could never do anything but kill. Kill and remember what had killed her. She could not even truly die. She could never be human again.


	2. Valus

Bleeding Shadows

**Chapter 1: Valus**

Malus bounded into her uncle's shop. She waited respectfully as he finished the sword he had made for the great warrior lord, Argus. "It is beautiful!" she gasped as her peasant uncle held the gorgeous object in his hands.

Her uncle chuckled and wrapped it in a crude leather covering. "May I try it out?" Malus asked.

The uncle looked out of his open-air shop and, seeing no one, handed his young niece the giant blade. The blade was only a foot shorter than she was and it fell to her feet as she gripped the hilt. Her uncle helped her lift up and she squealed for him to release it. With a smile, he did what she said. It fell with a clatter to the stone floor.

"See how good I crafted it?" He uncle said. "The blade is still sharp as it was before you dropped it."

Malus grinned bashfully and hid her face from his sight as she tightly held the hilt for a final attempt at lifting the sword. With one more grunt and burst of energy she balanced it upwards.

"Look, Uncle Valus! I'm a warrior!" she shouted.

Valus hushed her and took the sword. "You can't be a warrior, Malus."

"Wh~y?" Malus whined, feigning a sword fight with invisible opponents.

"Because," Valus said, hitting her arms down. "You are a woman. You will marry a warrior and have warrior sons or maiden daughters. And stop playing with your brother and his friends."

Malus stopped playing and wrinkled her nose. "I don't want to marry any of the boys here."

"You'll see them differently when you are older."

"When?" The girl demanded.

"In four or five years."

"Can I be a blacksmith then? When I'm 15?"

Valus sighed. "Go ask your dad."

Malus gave her uncle a hug and dashed out of the shop into the sunlight. Valus watched his namesake run like a boy with skirts to a circle of village boys and begin playing with them, having promptly forgotten what she was going to do.

Valus turned back to his masterpiece and polished it until it gleamed like a star in the poor shop.

Gaius came in and lounged on a wall. "You done caressing that, old man?" He finally said.

Valus shook the sword at him. "Hush. Your mouth will be the death of you someday." He told the young man.

"Yeah, yeah. Just finish whatever you're doing so I can deliver the damn thing." Gaius smirked as he took a swig of the wine Valus had left.

"Just take it and leave." Valus thrust the bound package to Gaius. "Remember, I gave it to you in perfect condition and that's the way it had better be when you give it to Argus."

"Yeah, sure." Gaius waved him off and started down the road, leaving Valus feeling nervous.

3


	3. Quadratus

**Chapter 2: Quadratus**

Quadratus pushed his sister into the dust, thoroughly disgusted with her. "Who do you think you are?" He yelled. "Leave us alone."

Pelagia helped Malus up. He tried to calm Quadratus and Malus at the same time.

Malus wiped her eyes and her little hands curled into fists at her side. "You're just jealous." She snarled, close to tears. "You hate me cuz you're worthless." With a cruel smile she added, "Even father says so."

"Whatever." Quadratus scoffed contemptuously, but both Pelagia and Malus could see the comment had hurt him deeply. "Besides, I'm not the one who's gonna be worthless in the future. I'm going to be a knight and you'll be nothing."

Malus opened her mouth to cut him down again, but a poisonous look from Pelagia silenced her. She looked down at her feet so her beloved brother couldn't see her shame.

"Quadratus," Pelagia addressed his older brother in a stern tone, "Someday you will be a man and you will look back on this day and feel shame. And it will serve you right."

He turned to his younger sister. "And you, Malus, you are only ten, I know, but someday you will be the leader of a house when your husband is gone and you need to keep your sharp tongue in check. Only sorrow and misfortune will follow you if you cannot do this."

Quadratus stood defensively and began to protest, but Malus nodded and sniffled a few times for Pelagia's benefit. Pelagia's mouth strayed into a smile. "Come now, children." He sang. "I'm hungry. Nothing can get in the way of my stomach and its desires." With these words, he started a brisk walk towards their home, leaving Quadratus and Malus to jog behind him.

Their father, Barba, and their mother, Minerva, were standing in the doorway when their children came up to the house. Barba caught Pelagia in his arms. Pelagia hung limply, no doubt aching for Quadratus. Barba then affectionately touched his daughter's shoulders. Minerva nodded to Quadratus with a soft smile. It was obvious the fiery firstborn was her favorite, while the passive middle child was Barba's. Malus didn't mind not being a favorite of her parents. While Valus did not particularly like either of the brothers, Malus was practically her bachelor uncle's surrogate child.

Both parents escorted the boys into the house. Malus trailed behind them. The smell of a simmering meat rose to her face and her mouth watered. "What are we having?" she asked.

Minerva glanced at her husband. "Lizard." Barba said, in tone meant only for Minerva. "It's not yet time to harvest our crops." He added offhandedly.

Malus saw their looks and suspicion rose in her mind, but she said nothing, hoping she was mistaken. When Minerva brought the plates of hot stew, Malus took a long look at the meat in it. She tentatively tasted it. The males in the house began eating immediately, but Minerva watched her daughter's face contort with tears. She was not surprised when Malus rose with a cry.

"You did it again!" She accused.

Barba stood and gave her a stern look. "You said not to cook the chickens, so we didn't. You said not to cook the doves, so we didn't. What is wrong with you?"

"You cooked a hawk!" Malus wailed.

Minerva's forehead furrowed as she thought. Pelagia slumped in his chair. Quadratus boldly continued to eat the stew while he gazed from Barba to Malus, and back.

Barba growled. Without a sound, Malus got up and ran out of the house. No one bothered to go after her.

Quadratus chuckled under his breath. Nobody responded besides Pelagia, who glared at him. Quadratus smiled at him and shoved a large bite into his mouth and contentedly voiced his appreciation for the bland stew.


	4. Gaius

**Chapter 3: Gaius**

Gaius didn't like the way his chances were looking. He turned his mind to the beautiful teenaged Malus, but seeing her only brought more agonizing impatience. She stood thoughtfully in between her father and uncle. He could see no obvious emotions on her face, besides amusement. He wished he could hear what Valus and Barba were saying.

Valus looked at the tall, handsome knight and then at his pale, dark-haired niece. "You are far too intelligent to be married to that fool. I'll bet three weeks into your marriage, he'll meet some other woman and divorce you, or worse, he'll play with her and dump her, and you'll never know."

Malus said nothing. Barba cleared his throat. "I am her father. Speak to me."

Valus turned to Barba. "Do not be deceived by his beautiful face. He is a peasant boy dressed in silk. His dowry was only a fifth of what Phalanx offered."

Barba mused. "Do you love him?" he asked Malus.

Malus lowered her head and spoke the words the thousands of women before her had been trained to speak. "My only wish is to marry into an honorable family."

Her uncle saw through her façade. "See, that is exactly why she should not marry the boy. Love will die and then what will be left? Dishonor and poverty." Her uncle bellowed.

Gaius looked up as he caught the words 'dishonor and poverty'. Malus looked at him, and her downfallen face rose with stubborn bitterness. She silently cursed them as they bartered her like an animal.

"May I talk to Gaius myself?" she politely interrupted.

Barba waved his hand to shoo her off, but Valus caught it. "She is worth nothing if she is spoiled." He whispered.

"I trust my daughter." Barba said. He began to walk to Gaius. "You do anything, boy, and you will pay for the rest of your life. You refuse to pay and you will lose your life." He warned.

Gaius nodded and walked away beside Malus. "You look gorgeous today." He told her.

She nodded and kept silent. Gaius walked in front of her and cut her off. She detoured around him. Gaius looked hurt, but he continued to follow. She walked to her favorite spring and sat down on a rock. She slipped off her shoes and placed her calloused feet in the clear, cool water.

Gaius tried to ignore her feet. They were the only part of her that weren't perfect. He sat beside her, careful to avoid the water, and put his arm around her back. She snuggled closer and smiled up into his beautiful face. He kissed her lightly.

A couple of doves landed beside him, too close for his comfort. He twitched his foot to scare them off, but they didn't move and continued to coo loudly. He waved his hand and they walked away, but came back as soon as his arm was back around Malus. Finally, they flew off when he scratched up a rock and tossed it in their direction. One dove lay down with a horrible sigh and the other began to cry in bird tones.

Malus frowned and pulled herself out of his arms. She scooped up the injured bird and held it to her chest and began to stroke the creature as its blood seeped through her white dress.

After what seemed like forever to Gaius, she set it down and turned to him. She sniffled and wiped her nose, then rubbed her reddened eyes. Gaius could only feel disgust at the pathetic girl. "Forget the damn bird."

"You cracked it's head. Don't deny it. It had to be you."

"So?" Gaius shrugged.

Malus looked at him and her brown eyes widened. She stood shakily and turned to leave.

"Malus." Gaius grabbed her hand. "Wait."

"No! What my uncle says is right. You are a fool." She shook his hand off. "A damn fool."

Gaius gasped and reached out for her again. "What the hell is wrong with you? I think you're the fool to reject me. You won't get anywhere." He grabbed her upper arm.

With a movement Gaius could not follow, Malus whirled around and swiped a knife across his cheek.

He let her go as he stepped backwards and held his face. A thin trickle of blood seeped through his fingers. Malus turned and ran away without her shoes.

"Fucking girl." Gaius groaned as he looked at his image in the mirror-like surface of the spring. He grabbed some water and threw it on his face. The blood and water fell back into the spring and in a minute the spring was just as clear and calm as it had been before.

Gaius sat on the bank and nursed his stinging cheek. He heard a noise behind him. Forgetting his pain for a moment, he looked back. More doves strutted, completely ignoring him. Their weeping coos sounded like laughter to Gaius.


End file.
